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Hi I'm John Carlson

I was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho. I love horses, camping, board games, and my family. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

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I have worked for 14 years as a commercial underwriter for Farm Bureau of Idaho. I graduated from Idaho State University in 2000 with a bachelors in business administration. I married my wife, in 1999 in the Logan Temple and together we have four children that bring us much joy and many trials. We both love to go camping, scouting, and doing activities together as a family.

Why I am a Mormon

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I read the Book of Mormon when I was young and loved it. Matter of fact, my fourth grade teacher caught me reading it while I was supposed to be reading a text book. I had placed the Book of Mormon inside of the text thinking I was tricking her until she walked up behind me without me noticing. All of the stories I heard about Joseph Smith growing up made me love and admire him. He was truly one of my heroes. To this day, I hold him in high esteem and as one of my heroes. The spirit has told me that he was called to restore the true church to the earth again. Between having a love for the Book of Mormon and a love for Joseph Smith it was easy to have a testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ.
In seminary I studied the Old and New Testaments and loved learning about the Savior. He set the perfect example and lived a life filled with love when so many of the people hated Him. He went into the garden and took upon Him the consequences of my sins that I would make 2000 years later. He did this because He loves me and because He volunteered to be our Savior in the great council in heaven. I try to be like Him in hopes to ease His burden and to be with Him again for all eternity.
The plan of salvation is another reason for my love of this gospel. We lived with our Father in Heaven prior to coming here. We chose to come here on earth and be tested. If we prove faithful, believe in Christ and partake of His atonement, we can live together with our Heavenly Father once more. Our Heavenly Father has restored the priesthood once more and the sealing power is upon this earth and used every day in the temples. When I was married to my wife it was not until death do us part, but it was forever. My bride and I were sealed up and as long as we remain worthy of this great blessing we will be together and our family will be together.
The gospel is beautiful and I love it.

How I live my faith

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Currently, I am serving as the executive secretary to the bishop in our church. This keeps me busy several nights a week as I am responsible for keeping the bishop organized and meeting with all of the members in our church. Anybody that needs an appointment with the bishop must first call me to schedule the appointment. In order to keep the church running smoothly we have several meetings with the ward council, leaders of the priesthood, and the sisters that help members with temporal and spiritual needs/wants. I am responsible for making the agendas for these meetings and trying to keep everyone on track. Some times it feels like I am herding cats, but it works well when the spirit of God is in attendance and we try to do His will.

How can I know Mormonism is true?

John Carlson

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When I was on my mission in Denmark I prayed for a personal witness of the gospel. My faith motivated me to serve the mission and the Lord blessed me with a testimony that He lives, He loves me, and He died so that I might live again. The prophet Moroni told us that everyone can obtain a witness of the truth if only we ask God. The spirit will reveal to us the truth of all things.Show moreShow less

Did you know that Jesus Christ established a church when he was on the earth and called 12 apostles to lead the church after his death? Watch this video to learn why there are so many churches today and how Christ's church was restored to the earth.